Once upon a time, there was a little girl who always wore a red cloak. Because of this, everyone called her “Little Red Riding Hood,” though her name was Layla. One day, her mother asked her to take a basket filled with cakes and medicinal herbs to her sick grandmother.
Layla agreed, picked up the basket, and tucked her hood firmly over her head. As she set off, despite her mother’s warning to avoid the frightening forest path, she didn’t pay much attention to the advice. Instead, she wandered through the woods, singing and gathering colorful flowers for her grandmother.
Suddenly, she heard strange rustling coming from behind the trees, and a massive wolf leaped out in front of her. The little girl trembled with fear at the sight of him, and the basket slipped from her hand, crashing to the ground. The wolf pounced toward the basket and began gathering the cakes that had scattered across the floor.
He then calmly handed the basket back to her. Layla stepped forward, took it, and thanked him. The wolf asked where she was headed, and she told him she was visiting her sick grandmother who lived at the end of the forest. Just then, they both heard the sound of a hunter’s rifle nearby, and the wolf fled at once.
Layla looked left and right, trying to find her way, only to realize she was lost. She sat down and began to cry. Hearing her sobs, a hunter approached and asked why she was sitting alone in such a dangerous forest; he even warned her that a savage wolf was roaming the woods, and that he was currently tracking it.
At that moment, Layla felt a deep sense of regret for ignoring her mother’s advice and straying from the path. She told the hunter she was on her way to see her sick grandmother, so he accompanied her to the house. Meanwhile, the wolf had taken a shortcut to reach the grandmother’s home as quickly as possible.
As soon as the wolf arrived at the house, he knocked on the door and disguised his voice, telling the grandmother he was Layla and had brought cakes and medicinal herbs. The grandmother allowed him in. Shortly after, Layla reached the house, and the hunter returned to the forest.
Layla knocked on the door and heard a voice inviting her inside. She hesitated, as the voice didn’t sound like her grandmother’s, but she assumed it had simply changed due to her illness, so she stepped inside.
The wolf had put on the grandmother’s clothes, glasses, and shawl and was lying in her bed. He had drawn the curtains so the room was dark and difficult to see. He asked Layla to come closer, but as she did, she noticed that her grandmother’s appearance had changed significantly.
Layla asked why her arms were so long, and the “grandmother” replied it was so she could hug her better. Then she asked why her ears were so large, and the “grandmother” said it was so she could hear her better. Layla also noticed that her grandmother now had enormous eyes and very sharp teeth.
Suddenly, the wolf leaped from the bed and lunged at the girl. Layla realized then that the wolf she had met in the forest was the one in the bed, not her grandmother. She screamed for help, and the hunter heard her cries.
The hunter rushed to the house and found the wolf about to attack her. He seized the wolf and cut open its belly, and the grandmother emerged safe and sound. Layla thanked him profusely, and he advised her to always listen to her mother’s advice and never ignore it again. Then, Layla returned home.
Translated from the story: Little Red Riding Hood